The Hero's Pride, To Protect
by Liquid Fire KAN
Summary: A normal evening – a normal winter evening in Karakura – leaves several people stumbling blindly, in an attempt to put their lives back together. AU – post chapter 423.


**Disclaimer: BLEACH and all trademarks are the sole and rightful property of Kubo Tite and Shueisha Publishing.**

**Summary: **_A normal evening – a normal winter evening in Karakura – leaves several people stumbling blindly, in an attempt to put their lives back together. AU – post chapter 423._

**A/N: **One of the AU's I was talking about on my profile page. Personally the FB arc did not do it for me, so I wrote this – a morbid, grim, murder mystery. And of course, Ichigo and Rukia get involved. Just a quick three or four chaptered story.

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**The Hero's Pride, to Protect**

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**PART I**

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Kanashiwa Taka smiled grimly as his shoulder-length hair and coat billowed in the wind. Brushings of snow covered him and the ground.

But he did not move though the wind was chilly and the cold in the air was permeable. Not in the least bit. Something on the ground had caught his eye. It was something he had seen before; something all too familiar. He knew exactly what had happened.

Proving it would be difficult however.

A dead body, a patient in the ICU, a shaken girl, a missing aggravator and a detective's hunch would not be good enough to convince any courtroom, even if he happened to intimately know one of the victims. Vouching for someone – vouching for anyone – was not permitted.

He frowned slightly and then glanced down at his clipboard.

A cloud of frost escaped his mouth as he sighed. Mulling over the details would not help. He already knew all he needed to know about that which had transpired.

He shivered.

There was a chill in the air that night which had nothing to do with the cold of winter or with the brushings of fresh snow on his shoulders and boots.

No, it wasn't the weather that was annoying him. He had lived in Karakura town for long enough. Its winters didn't bother him in the least, however chilly or snowy. Something else was bugging him.

"You okay?" his partner clapped a hand on his back. "You seem a little bit off…"

"Yeah, Hito… I'm fine. This is just one hell of a case. And it doesn't help when you know one of the victims."

Hito Yokumei frowned. "Oh yeah, that kid in the ICU, right?"

"Yeah…" Taka replied vaguely staring at the crimson pool of blood in the snow (the kid's blood). Snowflakes were cascading down covering it with a blanket of fresh white. It was fading quickly. 'Hopefully you're not fading as fast kid…'

"Well, not him actually; I know his father. Good guy. Kid's good too. Good grades, good looks, athletic; top notch..."

As he trailed off, his partner chuckled. "Damn, kid's the complete package. Is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know. It looks pretty bad. Multiple gunshot wounds and hypothermia to boot. It's a miracle he survived as long as he did…" There was a pause and then, "What about you? What do you think?"

"I think we need to get to work. Least we can do for the kid is catch the guy who screwed him over."

Taka nodded in assent. "Well, we don't have much to go on. Let's try retracing steps?"

And with that, the two men scurried over to the nearby warehouse. Police tape had blocked off civilians from entering. A good thing two, the both of them would say – the crime scene was not for the faint of heart.

Blood was everywhere. It was nauseating – Taka was nauseated.

Leaning on a nearby railing for support, he exhaled slowly. Hito threw him a concerned glance. Taka shook his head. There would be more than enough time later (at the station), to throw up. For the time being, there was a job to do. "I'm fine, I said. Let's get to it."

Unsure of whether or not to proceed, Hito gazed at his partner. He seemed okay enough. But still, it was never good to contaminate the crime scene with dinner. And Taka's face was turning a nasty shade of green. "Hey... maybe you ought to step out for this one. It's hard doing detective work when you know one of the victims. No need to be ashamed. Hell, it's pretty disgusting even when you don't know the victim. Looks like something out of a zombie movie…"

Taka turned a little greener. A reference to a 'zombie movie' as his partner had so eloquently put it, was not what he needed. Images flooded his brain. He moaned slightly, and then glared at Hito.

"You're not helping, Hito," he hissed. "I did not need those images in my head. I'm grossed out enough as it is… imagining what happened to that kid."

"Which is exactly why you need to sit this one out. It's not easy doing detective work, especially where family and friends are involved."

Shaking his head, Taka released the railing and looked at the clipboard clutched in his other hand. "No. The fact that the kid's a friend is exactly why I need to do this. I'm going to get justice for that kid."

Hito appraised him, and then sighed. "Fine… Let's get to it then. Well, you get to it. I'm just going to head to the cruiser and grab some equipment quick."

"Sure, go ahead," Taka replied completely absorbed in his investigation, and Hito rolled his eyes, heading out the way they had entered, leaving fresh footprints in the snow.

They would need forensic equipment. There was no other way of proving innocence or guilt without it when a victim was dead.

"And no eyewitness accounts either…" grumbled Hito trudging through the snow towards the flashing lights where other forensics were analyzing the already gathered data. "Hey, you guys! You got anything on the guy. Any idea how it happened? How's the kid?"

A man laughed. "We've got nothing you haven't gotten… you and Taka are the best in the business… Although, is he alright? Seems a bit off tonight."

"Ah, the victim is someone he knows… Hence me asking about the kid. What was his name again?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," the same man replied. "He's still in ICU. I heard they're going to operate on him soon."

"Prognosis?"

The man's expression turned grim, "Not good at all."

"Well then," Hito reached into the back of the cruiser and pulled a few swabs from it, "It's up to us to bust our asses figuring out who the hell did this. Got that?"

"Yes sir!" they chorused at his retreating back. He smiled. For his friend's sake they were going to crack the case wide open. 'Whichever son of a bitch decided to pull this stunt, picked the wrong people to pull it on.'

The warehouse door creaked open again. "You ready?"

"Hell yeah," Taka grinned. "Looks like our perpetrator left behind a plethora of evidence."

Hito just laughed. Then he sighed. "It's going to be nice getting justice for your friend. Doesn't look good for him."

"He'll pull through. He's strong."

Uncertainty hung in the air.

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He was still shivering. The cold from outside had not yet left him. Nor had the fear, though he supposed that was perfectly rational.

It wasn't everyday his son got shot after all… Behind him, he could hear the swish of the emergency room doors and the clacking of heels against the marble floor.

Fidgeting nervously, he turned to face a blonde woman. She offered him a small smile. He must have looked as anxious as he felt. It wasn't everyday his son got shot… He threw the woman a pleading stare, and she smiled again.

"We'll operate just as soon as he stabilizes a bit more."

But that wasn't good enough for him.

"And if he doesn't stabilize any more than he already has?" An undercurrent of worry made permeated Isshin's normally calm baritone.

The nurse gave him a sympathetic look. She knew he had to be strong for the two girls who sat, one sobbing, and the other with her fist clenched and teeth gritted in silent agony. He was the family patriarch – he had to be strong. But he wasn't immune to worry. Something rankled inside of her. Despite being a nurse for as long as she had been, she couldn't help but feel the way that she did. All those years of emotional detachment thrown out the window – the boy had to live.

"Let's not think about that."

Isshin could only nod. She offered another warm smile in return. "In the meantime, you can grab a bit to eat at the café downstairs."

"No, it's fine. I'm not hungry, nor are Yuzu and Karin. We'll wait here if that's alright with you?" his eyebrow arched.

"It's fine with me Kurosaki-dono," and then, "It's just that your daughters look so distraught. It would do them good to go out for a bit. Get a bit of fresh air maybe?"

The entrance to the ICU swooshed open. "I'll take them for a bit, Isshin."

"Ah thanks, Yoruichi. I owe you one." Strange – his voice sounded strange to him. He felt as though someone was strangling him. Yes, it was good that Yoruichi was her. He wasn't entirely sure he was sanguine anymore. He had never felt this worried before.

She laughed and his heart lightened slightly. At least he wasn't alone. She was here with him – laughing. It was reassuring.

Yoruichi grinned. "No, we all owe the kid one. How is he?"

"Not good… He hasn't stabilized. They can't operate."

"Oh…" for a moment Yoruichi was thoughtful and the fear became very real again for Isshin. And the she smiled, "Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's Ichigo. He's had much worse."

The nurse was gone. A swish of the same doors through which she had entered told him that. They could drop the pretense.

"As a shinigami, he's had far worse. But this is his human body we're talking about. It can't take nearly as much damage as his shinigami body. Do you realize what will happen if he dies? He's not going to Soul Society, because his body is nothing more than a glorified gigai. He'll be gone, gone! And Yuzu and Karin will have lost their brother!"

"And you'll have lost your son."

Trembling, Isshin grit his teeth, anxiety finally overcoming him, and hung his head, "Yes… I will lose my son if this ends badly. I promised her I would take care of him."

"You are… you didn't run off this time." Isshin looked up. "You're here. For his sake… And if you're that worried, just go into the room and tell him how you feel."

"I have no right to cry." Yoruichi sighed – he was being adamant.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Rukia Kuchiki is in there! And I'm sure she's told him exactly how she feels! You're his dad. No reason to feel embarrassed. Go tell him that he better get better. For all of our sakes."

Isshin gaped at her, incoherently spluttered something about being a man, thought better of it, smiled, and turned his back to Yoruichi all in one smooth motion.

She returned the smile with a grin at Isshin's back. "Arigatou, Yoruichi…"

"Don't mention it."

The door to Ichigo's room had already slid shut behind him. Yoruichi sighed. It was going to be a long couple of months. "Hey, you guys!"

Karin and Yuzu blinked at her. "Let's go get something to eat and leave your dad to it. Kami knows he needs the time alone."

They looked to the closed door, and then stood. "Sure."

And the automatic doors opened and closed.

Inside, Isshin stood motionless by Ichigo's bedside staring at his son. White gauze covered most of his chest, and where there were no bandages, there were wires and tubes of all shapes, sizes and varieties. Some part of him was appalled – despite his status as a medical practitioner he couldn't recognize most of the contraptions. He had never seen so many different machines.

'Even as a medical practitioner… I… Ichigo…'

"Do you want me to leave?" a concerned voice quipped from the stool in the corner. Isshin looked at the person and shook his head.

"No, it's fine. You can stay. He's better off with you here."

The girl nodded, pursed her lips, but said nothing more. Instead, she settled for staring at the boy, and Isshin followed her gaze.

Ichigo was in bad shape. Isshin grimaced. His son was in really bad shape. It didn't matter that he couldn't tell the devices apart; the fact that there were so many was enough to tell him that Ichigo was in dire straits. The respirator and electrocardiogram told him that much.

From the corner opposite Rukia, one wheezed, and the other beeped. Isshin shut his eyes tightly. Ichigo was in really bad shape. 'Not to mention that if Rukia hadn't shown up when she had he'd be…'

"Dammit."

Rukia looked up from her position on the stool, her shihakusho rippled slightly, and the vice-captain's badge on her arm became slightly more obvious as a result of the motion. She paid it no attention. "Kurosaki-dono?"

"How did this happen?"

She frowned sadly at her hands. "I don't know. When I found him, whatever had happened had already happened. And Ichigo was…"

"You brought him back." Isshin said after a long moment.

"Ah… I don't know what I did."

"Good thing you were patrolling tonight. If it wasn't for you, if you hadn't shown up when you had, he'd be… you know, dead…" A deafening silence overcame the two. Both stared at Ichigo, then at each other.

"Once again… How did this happen? He was supposed to live a normal life. A long normal life. And this…"

Isshin gazed at his son sadly. "I don't think that's what he wanted."

"To protect, huh…?" Involuntarily, Rukia's fist clenched. "What happens now?"

"We'll have to wait a bit… and then they'll operate."

"And if the surgery is not a success…"

"He won't become a shinigami. His soul chain was severed. He's already dead. His body's just a glorified gigai… So…"

Tears pricked at her eyes. "He'll just die."

The electrocardiogram sounded closer than ever. Over that noise, there was the wheeze of a respirator. And then, the door slid open. "He's stable enough. We're going to… you know operate. We'll keep you posted."

"Yeah…" Isshin replied looking at Rukia from the corner of his eye. "You do that."

The nurse left and Isshin laughed slightly - silently. "That's a bit of a relief… Are you going to do what I think you are?"

"Yeah, I'll go into the operating theatre with him. Good thing humans can't see us. I'll take care of him."

"Yeah… I know you will." And then a worried expression came over Isshin. The surgery had to be successful; it just had to be.

Otherwise…

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Ishida pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been caught unawares. Again… he sighed.

Being taken by surprise was not in the least bit pleasant, especially when the news was not in the least bit pleasant. 'Tch… if only Kurosaki still had his reiatsu… I would've been able to sense this… and put a stop to it before it got so out of hand…'

And suddenly, the world no longer made sense to Ishida. Kurosaki Ichigo, the man who had braved so many dangers – who had defeated the likes of Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Aizen – was lying in the ICU, fighting for his life because of some fool with a gun and anger management issues. The world definitely did not make sense anymore – because Kurosaki Ichigo was dying, and deep down Ishida was very concerned for his rival come friend.

He scowled in an Ichigo-esque manner and turned to the receptionist. In response, she sighed; he had been pestering her for information every five minutes or so. But he couldn't help it – he needed to know what had happened.

"Is the surgery complete?" The woman pursed her lips.

"I told you that I would inform you when it was, Ishida-san."

Ishida exhaled sharply, pushed his glasses up with his fingers and rounded on the lady – he had grown tired enough of the back and forth.

"I feel that it is necessary to inform you that my father is the director of this establishment."

"I'm well aware," she replied, equally agitated.

"I want information." Ishida said simply.

"And you're not going to stop pestering me until I give it to you, right?"

"Quite." He pushed his glasses up his nose once more and smirked. The woman sighed and then smirked in return.

"Well, you see," she began, "I've already told you all I know about your friend. And I've also told you that I will inform you of any changes as soon as I can."

Peering at the woman curiously, Ishida frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I will let you know only after I inform Kurosaki-san's immediate family. You are only a friend after all."

"What part of my father runs this place do you not understand."

"Protocol is protocol, Ishida-san. And regardless, I'm on break." Smiling the receptionist turned away leaving Ishida with a look of sheer disbelief.

He stood, dumb, and then slowly stepped away from the counter and plopped himself down in the waiting area. Civilians stared at him. His display of annoyance had not gone unnoticed.

Poking his glasses one final time, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed the first number in his contacts list: Inoue Orihime.

"Inoue!" he was shouting again and he didn't care. This was urgent.

A yawn… "Ishida-kun? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

"It's almost eleven," he replied despite himself checking his watch. A nerve twitched in his brow. "But that's not important; you need to come down the hospital now!"

"Huh? Why? Did something happen to you?"

"No… but Kurosaki is…" Ishida stopped. Telling Inoue over the phone seemed cruel. Heartless he was not. And regardless, he always had a soft spot for her. He couldn't help it…

"Is Kurosaki-kun alright?" A tremor of panic was already present in her voice – Ishida frowned. That wasn't a good thing. But it couldn't be helped.

"Not exactly," he paused, "Just come as soon as you can. I'll tell you everything as soon as you get here."

A disconnecting beep from his phone served as his response. 'And to think I wouldn't even know about this if I hadn't shown up here bright and early… Dammit Kurosaki.'

"_Um, excuse me mam?" the lady behind the counter turned to face him. _

"_Hmm, can I help you?"_

"_Yeah." Out of habit, Ishida poked his glasses up with his fingers. "I'm looking for my father… Ishida-san."_

_The woman looked startled, and then smiled. "Oh, you must be Uryuu Ishida. I'm new here, so… I'll call him down for you."_

_Ishida turned, and approached the waiting area. His father had a habit of keeping him waiting. Though he was a punctual man, he felt the need to make his son wait. "There'll be no need to call me. I'm here. And you're here – good timing."_

_With that, Ishida stopped dead in his tracks. "What do you mean?"_

"_Oh, so I'm assuming you don't know," his father replied smoothly giving nothing away. A vein throbbed in his temple. _

"_I came here to talk to you about all the hollows appearing off late… Is there something I need to know."_

_His father laughed at him. "Naturally. There is something you do not know. I'm wondering if I should tell you."_

_Ishida clicked his tongue. "Fine… fine I'll tell you… That shinigami friend of yours, Kurosaki Ichigo has been shot, and is in surgery as we speak."_

_His mouth fell open. 'Kurosaki…'_

He shook his head. It was a good thing he had come, even though he had not been expecting that. He glanced down at the phone clutched in his grasp. Inoue would be here soon, but he had enough time to make a few more calls. Scrolling down, he dialed the second number: Sado Yasutora.

"Dammit… straight to voicemail... Where the hell are you?"

Chad had been missing for a while… Everyone, himself included, was beginning to worry. 'Tch… there's no time to dwell on that either… damn… okay, call Tatsuki.'

And the ringing began. Once, twice, thrice – he was about to hang up, and then, "Yo, what's up four-eyes?"

Typical – Ishida rolled his eyes slightly miffed. "Yeah… it's me."

"Yeah, that's why I called you four-eyes." Her laughter ceased suddenly. "Hey, you sound weird. Are you alright?"

"Yes and no…"

"Huh? Is cryptic a part of your vocabulary or something?"

Massaging his forehead, Ishida scoffed, "Maybe… but that's not important… just come to Karakura hospital as soon as you can."

"Why?"

Tatsuki nearly crushed the phone in her grasp – a beeping had served as her only response. "Dammit! Even when I know about shinigami and all, I still feel left out of the loop…"

And then, she was sprinting.

Against the thrum of her heart in her ears, she could hear her mother shouting at her, wondering where she was going.

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'Where the hell is she?' A nerve was throbbing in Toshiro's forehead. It was so like his vice-captain to be late, and to an important meeting at that… Not that he knew what it was about. No one did. 'Still… she shouldn't be late. Matsumoto… where the hell are you?'

The door burst open. "I'm here!"

Toshiro dropped his head into his hands. Now this was like his vice-captain. Not only was she late, she was drunk.

His temple was no longer throbbing. He just had a splitting headache imagining the conversation he and the captain-commander would be having shortly. A sigh – it couldn't be helped; he had warned her time and again to no avail. 'But honestly… drunk?'

He shook his head slightly, and his earlier focus returned. There was be time enough to berate his subordinate later.

A quick glance around the room – he frowned. Rangiku was not the only one late. Kuchiki Rukia was not present either. It was unlike her.

"Kuchiki Rukia fuku-taichou, will not be joining us today."

Apparently, the captain-commander had been following his gaze. "Why not?"

For a moment Yamamoto looked enraged. And then he let out a resigned sigh. "She is in the world of the living… with Kurosaki Ichigo."

Murmurs of both protest and approval broke out in the chamber and gradually increased until most captains and vice-captains were voicing their concerns and opinions. Toshiro said nothing. He still found it ridiculous that a ryoka boy (however powerful, and however instrumental to their winning the winter war), could create so much discord amongst them. The captain-commander – he glanced over at him – seemed to be annoyed as well.

No one else seemed to realize.

"That's improper of her!" Sui Feng shouted.

"My sister has earned her place as a vice-captain. If she sees fit to go and visit the boy, I will trust her judgement." Byakuya replied coolly coming to Rukia's defense.

Ukitake smiled slightly, and nodded. They were finally beginning to act as siblings. Then he threw a glance at his former mentor. A vein throbbed in his temple. He turned to Shunsui who gave him a knowing glance.

'Yama-jii's about to erupt… Ah well, this is fun…'

Sui Feng glared at Byakuya, "Once upon a time you were a stickler for the rules just as much as I am."

"Captain…" Renji began, "I have to agree with Sui Feng-taichou. This is rash… even for Rukia…"

"Which is exactly why I'm certain she has a good reason for going to Karakura town." And there ended the conversation. Renji sweat dropped and Byakuya turned back to the captain-commander who had turned a putrid shade of red, and sighed.

Everyone was still arguing. He counted his breaths – one, two, three, four, five, and then…

"SILENCE!"

The room went still. No one dared incur the wrath of the captain-commander. "You're captains and vice captains! Does that mean nothing to you!? Bickering like children, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!"

Suddenly, everyone was very interested in the floor. "Although… I suppose some things never change. That boy, Kurosaki Ichigo has always brought about strong reactions in Soul Society and its residents… Which is why I have called you here today; to tell you that Kurosaki Ichigo has…"

Ukitake's eyes closed, expecting the worst.

"… Been grievously wounded… and is on the verge of death."

His eyes flickered open. That was problematic, but only in the slightest – unless… "I don't see the problem with that."

Toshiro had voiced his concern aloud. "If Kurosaki is dying, won't he just show up here a shinigami?"

Unless…

Yamamoto shook his head. "It isn't that simple."

"Why?"

"Because Kurosaki Ichigo is already dead."

Ukitake's eyes widened marginally. So that was it. His body was just a gigai. He sighed. 'Some birthday Kuchiki's been having…'

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**Fin**

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**Notes: **

**I.** As a clarification, I'm aware that Ichigo keeps a tiny amount of his reiatsu after defeating Aizen. With regards to this, Ishida comments that 'reiatsu has been lingering around Ichigo'. So why then could he not be located by his reishi signature – there is only a very little of it left.

**II.** As for what actually happened to Ichigo – you will never know… Meh, maybe I'll write a brief chapter whenever I get the time to explain what exactly happened between the shooter and Ichigo. I'm saying maybe. 'Trueblood' takes first priority. And yes, I'm still working on the chapter.

**III.** As for the detectives who star in the story, blame all the cop shows I've been watching when I should be studying.

**A/N: **Enjoyed writing this.

**~ Liquid Fire KAN.**


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